Don't Knock the Rock (1956)

Director:

Fred F. Sears

Writers:

Robert E. Kent (screenplay)
Robert E. Kent (story)

Release Date:

14 December 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Music

Tagline:

Rock'N'Roll Will Save The Day!

Plot:

A disc jockey tries to prove to teenagers' parents that rock 'n' roll is harmless and won't turn their kids into juvenile delinquents.

Plot Keywords:

Rock Music | Reference To Kim Novak | Sequel

Cast

Alan Dale	...	Arnie Haines
Patricia Hardy	...	Francine MacLaine
Alan Freed	...	Himself
Fay Baker	...	Arlene MacLaine
Jana Lund	...	Sunny Everett
Pierre Watkin	...	Mayor George Bagley
Bill Haley	...	Himself
Franny Beecher	...	Himself (lead guitarist, The Comets) (as The Comets)
Rudy Pompilli	...	Himself (saxophonist, The Comets) (as The Comets)
Al Rex	...	Himself (bass player, The Comets) (as The Comets)
Billy Williamson	...	Himself (steel guitarist, The Comets) (as The Comets)
Johnny Grande	...	Himself (pianist, The Comets) (as The Comets)
Ralph Jones	...	Himself (drummer, The Comets) (as The Comets)
Dave Appell	...	Himself
Applejacks	...	Themselves

Also Known As:

Hi Fi (USA) (working title)
Rhythm and Blues (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

USA:TV-G | Finland:S | West Germany:12 | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Clover Productions

Trivia:

As with Rock Around the Clock (1956), all songs are performed lip-synched to previously released records. It's worth noting, however, that Bill Haley and the Comets' instrumental "Goofin' Around" seen performed here is a different take than the version the band released on record.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The dialog indicates that Arnie Haines' home town is somewhere in New England when he discusses going home for vacation, but the train that he gets off has the logo of the Sunset Limited on three cars. The Sunset Limited was a luxury train of the Southern Pacific Railroad that ran along the California Coast.

Quotes:

Arnie Haines: He seems to think that running around in my underwear or getting thrown out of my hotel is news. And does that sound like news to you guys?
Member of Applejacks: If you were Kim Novak, it might.
Arnie Hains: Oh, very funny.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Super Night of Rock 'n' Roll (1984) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Country Dance

A few knocks for this film

This is yet another of a group of early R&R films with the same moral...."Parents, don't judge the music of your kids harshly...after all, you were a bunch of flappers back in your day, screaming '23 Skiddoo' while jitterbugging like crazy..." This film would have been better, MUCH better, if they actually had a Rock N Roll guy as the lead. But they had a Bing Crosby type, moaning out some pretty awful tunes. I'm sure there were some very restless teenagers in the theater when this film was released. They probably couldn't wait 'till the REAL rockers came on screen. Once that happened, the film came into it's own. As has been pointed out in earlier posts, these performances are the centerpiece of the film.

In addition to the musical numbers by Haley & the Comets, the Treniers and Little Richard, the dancing was pretty amazing in this movie. Young people of the past could really move, unlike today (also check out YouTube clips of Ronnie Spector dancing at the Pepppermint Lounge during The Beatles '64 tour; clips from the early 70's Soul Train line; and clips from the 80's film "Breakin'" to see what young folks could do during the past decades).

Another bright spot was the performance of Jana Lund as the bratty, teenage nymphet. She did an amazingly sultry dance when first spotted, and you just knew this kitten would be trouble. On top of that, Ms. Lund was wearing the most blatant example of a 50's "Balistic Missle Bra" since Janet Leigh in "Jet Pilot".

All in all, not a bad film, but not as good or as much fun as "Rock Around The Clock".